Love Makes Us Stronger
by Etapa
Summary: Dekaranger. What can be one's weakness can also be one's strength. Hoji & Jasmine, mentions of Sen & Umeko. Oneshot.


**Disclaimer:** Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger and its characters do NOT belong to me.

**A/N:** My first fanfic. Whatever in this story that you can't recognize from the show, chances are that I made it up. I dedicate this one to my friend and the resident Genius of the HAH, Skylark (penname: **J.**). Had it not been her words of encouragement, this fanfic would never have come to life. Also dedicated to my LJ friend Lauren (penname: **lkwREADer**), who suggested me the title for the story.

* * *

**Love makes us stronger**  
By Etapa

"Until when?"

That seemingly simple question had Hoji stop dead in his tracks, and all he could do for a moment was to just stare into her eyes.

Those same pair of eyes that had made an impression on him from the instant that he first saw them.

* * *

He still remembered the first day that he met her, as if it had been yesterday.

It had only been a couple months since he himself had joined the SPD when she arrived. Quiet and withdrawn, she rarely spoke to anyone outside training. All that he knew about her then was that she was an ESPer, and had been recruited by Doggie Kruger himself. She looked so fragile, though, so ready to break in the blink of an eye, that Hoji had seriously wondered, several times, if she had come to the right place.

With time, however, she began to break out of her shell. Day by day, training after training, she grew stronger and more confident in her abilities, and proved over and over that she _was_ at the right place, and belonged more than many of the other trainees. Eventually, the fragile and withdrawn girl that he had first met was nowhere to be seen, and in her place was a strong and confident woman, ready to take the bull by its horns.

It had come as no surprise to Hoji when she had been, along with him, selected to be a Dekaranger as the Earth Branch of the Space Police was established. Given the fact that she was, with him, two of the best candidates from the first selection of the Deka members, he wasn't that surprised either when the two of them had been paired up. It was also the first time that he had had a real close contact with her.

The first few days had felt awkward at most. Neither seemed to know what to say to each other, so in the beginning, they pretty much kept to themselves unless they were discussing a case.

In the end, those cases themselves did the trick in breaking the ice. It began as a comment, or even an opinion, about the case as they'd be investigating. Exchanging those few sentences, they'd find that they had a lot more in common than they had originally thought, and shared similar thoughts and points of view, helping both of them to relax around each other. As days passed, a mutual trust began to bud within their partnership, slowly turning their professional relationship into a comfortable friendship.

He learned about how when she was younger she couldn't control her powers, and how even her parents had turned their backs on her. Things hadn't been any easier during the days when her powers would spike, overwhelming her with the voices of everyone around her. She had nearly reached a breaking point when she had heard the thoughts of her then-best friend, who also thought of her as weird.

_"Had Boss not found me that day, I'd not be here today,"_ she had said.

_That explains why she looked so fragile when I first saw her_, he had thought.

But that was then. She was now an important member of the Earth Branch of the Space Police. She could control her powers now, with the help of the gloves she wore. She no longer looked like she was ready to break. She was calm and collected, almost like him. It was a remarkable feat, and knowing where she had come from only added to Hoji's respect towards her.

What he liked most about her change, however, was that as she began her path as a Space Police officer, she had come to learn to trust people again. It had begun with their Boss, but Hoji could say with a certain degree of confidence that he had a part in it as well. Boss was her mentor and a father-like figure for her (and him, of course), but Hoji considered himself to be her first friend in her new life as a Dekaranger.

And he was proud of that.

* * *

"Did you honestly think I'd not have known?"

He _had_ considered that possibility. It's not like he had forgotten that she was an ESPer.

"It had nothing to do with my powers... But I know you. I don't know if you remember, but you were my _first_ friend since I joined SPD."

_Were._ She was using past tense.

_She really knew._

And it had been all _his_ doing.

* * *

He wasn't sure when his respect and caring towards her turned into something deeper, but he clearly remembered when he _realized_ it.

It was that fateful day when they fell into Terii-X's trap, and the Alienizer had been just about to turn her into plasma battery. The moment had only lasted a few seconds, as they were quickly rescued by their senior Gyoku-san, but he had never been as terrified in his life as he had been during those few seconds.

Things had only gotten worse, as their superior was severely injured while saving their lives, and eventually had to withdraw from the Earth Branch. To bear the guilt of destroying the career of a person for whom he had the uttermost respect, and to realize that he had developed feelings for his co-worker and friend, _all in one day_? It was definitely a day that Hoji had wished had never happened.

The thought of having feelings for her didn't sit well with him at all. From the moment that he had become a Space Police officer, work had become his priority, and he refused to allow anything, _anything_, to get in the way. Falling for her was the last thing that should have happened to him. It'd only increase the risk of losing his cool on the job, not to mention give ways to weakness, a _major_ one. Worse, that weakness could result in danger for _her_.

He couldn't have that.

So he did the best that he could think of at the time. Hiding his feelings and even ignoring them, he began to distance himself. It was very subtle, but slowly, they began to drift apart. By the time that Umeko joined them, they weren't even patrolling together anymore. Their interaction by then resembled more of that of co-workers with some level of friendliness, rather than the initial friendship that they had shared.

Hoji did feel bad about it. He missed their friendship. Many times he found himself feeling a bit jealous of Umeko. She had bonded with her, and in a short matter of time, the two girls had formed a tight friendship, referring to themselves as the Twin Cam Angels. The DekaPink was the one now occupying the place that once had been his.

But... it was for the best that they kept that safe distance, so he left it at that.

Besides, he would soon have Ban to deal with.

He could only hope that with time, his feelings towards her would fade away.

* * *

"Even though we still get along well... things are just not the same anymore. Not like they used to be."

_I know._

"Umeko is my best friend now, and I'd never have it any other way. But it doesn't mean I don't miss our friendship. I miss my friend who had always been there to support me when I needed help."

"..."

"You were like a rock to me. Then one day, you were no longer around."

* * *

For a while, he had convinced himself that he had succeeded. He was even finding it fairly easy to flirt with other women (outside work). So that was a good sign.

Then the Hell's siblings happened.

Somehow, Succubus, one of the siblings, had taken an interest in the ESPer, and had offered to spare Earth if she joined her. After they were all very badly beaten by the enemy and almost killed, she had nearly given in to the offer.

She looked so vulnerable that day, so much like the girl that he had first met. She had almost broken apart completely that day, and it had pained him, far more than he would ever admit out loud, that there was nothing that he could have done to prevent it.

In the end, it had been Ban's belief in the power of justice that had given back her strength. The same belief that gave back not only to her, but the entire team, the will to fight back, and ultimately win. That battle had taught them all, including the then newcomer Tetsu, a valuable lesson.

It had also been a painful reminder to Hoji that his feelings towards her had not gone anywhere.

* * *

"And you only kept trying to distance yourself further."

* * *

Dismayed, Hoji decided to make better use of the off-duty time he got. He began to go out more often. Probably he had failed before because he stayed at work too much, therefore spending too much time around her.

He had almost succeeded then.

Teresa was a beautiful, lovely woman, and she made Hoji consider, for the first time, beginning a life beyond the Space Police. She made him want to be better, and it drove him to, soon, take the Tokkyou exam. He was really looking forward to the new life that seemingly awaited him, with a wonderful person by his side and in an elite team of the Space Police.

_And away from her_, a nagging voice mocked. He did his best to ignore it. His plan of a future in the Tokkyou team and with Teresa was perfect, and nothing would come in its way.

Or so he had thought. He hadn't counted on Teresa's illness and how far her brother had gone to save her life.

Her cry of anguish over the death of her little brother would haunt him for a long time.

How could he take that Gold Badge, after knowing the price that had been paid? And how could he ever be with the woman whose brother died by his own hands?

So much for a perfect plan.

He was back to square one. He stayed in the Earth branch, and was still very much around _her_.

* * *

She sighed and looked down, breaking eye contact for a second.

"I'm tired," she said, her voice going even softer than it was a few moments ago.

_That_ got a spoken response from him. "...tired of what?"

She looked back up.

"Tired of waiting. Waiting for you to realize that I'm not made of glass. I won't break, Hoji."

* * *

Unlike the other guys of the team, Hoji had been quick to notice when Umeko realized her feelings for Sen-chan. He had been amused, to the least.

It seemed, at first glance, like such an odd combination, yet they fit perfectly. Besides, Sen-chan had been the only one who saw through Umeko's façade when she tried to look cheery when she was actually hurt by the Alienizer who had deceived her. Just because Umeko was always cheerful didn't mean she had to always stay that way, and she needed someone who understood it and took care of that part of hers that could so easily be hurt. Sen-chan was that someone, oblivious as he could be sometimes.

But Hoji hadn't really expected those two to _actually_ start going out. Didn't Sen-chan worry that he might expose Umeko into greater danger just for the fact that they were together? Also, couldn't a relationship between co-workers hurt the work?

_"Of course I worry,"_ Sen-chan had said. _"But I also know that Umeko can take care of herself. And **if** she can't, I'll be there."_

As for the possibility of the relationship between colleagues interfering with work, Sen-chan had this to say, with a chuckle.

_"You seem to forget about Boss and Swan-san,"_ his face grew a bit more serious as he added. _"Being involved with someone may make you more vulnerable. But it also motivates you to fight harder... and be stronger."_

What can be your weakness... can also be your strength?

Sen-chan's words had made Hoji see, for the first time, his fear and worries in a different light.

But he was afraid he was too late.

* * *

"You're not."

Her voice snapped him back to the present.

He looked confused for a few seconds, before he finally realized that she had taken his hand.

With her _bare_ hand.

When he looked back at her, surprised, she was smiling.

"You're not late, Hoji," she said it again.

As her words clicked in his brain at last, a smile formed in his face.

Hoji stepped forward, getting close enough to touch her. He leaned in, slowly and almost hesitantly, as if afraid that if he went too fast, he might wake up and find this all to be nothing but a dream.

When his lips finally touched hers, however, all his fears and doubts were thrown out of the window. The best dream of the entire world could not be _this_ amazing.

As they pulled apart, hands still intertwined, Hoji brought his head down, touching his forehead with hers.

"I love you, Jasmine," he whispered.

Jasmine smiled. "I should have vented a lot sooner."


End file.
